BrightSource raises $15 million in a new equity and note offering

OAKLAND -- BrightSource Energy has raised $15 million in an equity and promissory note offering, according to a regulatory filing on Wednesday by the solar energy company.

All told, BrightSource Energy seeks to raise $35 million, the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed.

Oakland-based BrightSource said 44 investors were involved in the equity and note offering. The SEC filing didn't identify the investors.

BrightSource has developed a solar thermal technology to concentrate the sun's energy into high-temperature steam.

The company's largest project is a 377-megawatt solar complex in the Mojave Desert. The project has the capacity to generate electricity for 140,000 homes.

In early June, John Woolard disclosed he would step down as chief executive officer of BrightSource.

In a blog posted on the company's Web site on June 6, Woolard and BrightSource Executive Chairman H. David Ramm described the "next stage of growth" for the company.

"BrightSource has accomplished a tremendous amount over the last seven years," Woolard and Ramm wrote. "We are committed to work together as a team as we advance the company's technology, expand our geographic scope, and transition to a new CEO over the next few months."